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Flyting game

In both French and Scottish Renaissance courts, the art of 'flyting' was a highly popular form of entertainment.

Court poets would show off their cleverness with words by entering into 'word duels'. Each one would compose witty and sometimes downright rude insults to hurl at each other and the audience would judge which one was the most insulting and amusing.

You can become a 'maister flyter' too!

To help you with the translations of the Scots words download the glossary.

PDF: Flyting glossary (170 KB)

Adjectives

  • hippertie-skippertie

  • richt

  • wrang

  • boolie-backit

  • clarty

  • muckle

  • chandler-chanted

  • chuftie-cheeked

  • gash-gabbit

  • shairp-nibbit

  • skellie

  • corrie-fisted

  • heftit

  • stechie

  • camshackled

  • shrinkie-faced

  • tickie-taed

  • weever-kneed

  • ramgunshoch

  • argle-barglous

Nouns

  • bauchle

  • knapdarloch

  • lug

  • niff-naff

  • sclaff

  • sookin-teuchit

  • stoger

  • brinkie-brow

  • mou

  • scone-face

  • gebbie

  • tattie-trap

  • a sheemach

  • shammie-shanks

  • trampers

  • snochter

  • snotter-box

  • Katie-beardie

  • eel-drowner

  • cockapentie

  • lick-penny

  • cooard

Verbs

  • strunt

  • staun

  • splore

  • hunker-slide

  • slunge

  • gropsie

  • kittle up

  • dibber-dabber

  • yellyhoo

  • yoke

  • reek

  • fash

  • fuff

  • slorp an greet

  • hang a pettit lip

  • let aff

  • barlafummil

  • lamp

  • snod

  • spit and gie ower

  • souter

  • skelp

  • boggle

  • flird

  • blaw

  • mak

  • boke

  • rift

  • slaver

  • welter

  • gawkie

  • guk